The bill by Republican lawmakers, punished by charities that serve immigrants and could lead to the arrest of employees, attracts imposed by Tennessee faith leaders as a violation of religious freedom.
One invoice (HB322/SB392) “Human smuggling” crimes are transported, encouraged or transported, encouraged, or encouraged by “concealing, embracing, or shielding” to illegally invade or invade or remain in the state by monitoring, or by surveillance. Created for people who guide them.
Organizations, including churches and other nonprofits, are “trying to commit” or “commit” crime, could be dissolved by the Tennessee Attorney General. And individuals who participate in inducing or encouraging activities such as church staff, nonprofit employees, and private business workers may be subject to a Class E felony and will be punished in prison for up to six years. , will be fined up to $3,000.
Second invoice (HB811/SB227) The charity provides housing services to individuals who do not have permanent legal immigration status and opens them to lawsuits if the individual continues to commit a crime.
Both measures could directly affect the daily charity programs that Tennessee churches and other nonprofits offer to individuals regardless of their immigration status, faith leaders said.
Tennessee House passes immigration enforcement bill. The ACLU is planning legal challenges
“I am deeply concerned about how broad these bills are. My fear is that churches trying to help immigrants will be punished in some way,” says Edgehill United in Nashville. said Pastor Eric Meire, Methodist pastor. .
“And that prevents us from exercising religious freedom.
Sen. Brent Taylor, a Republican from Memphis, said he is the primary sponsor of the bill aimed at housing services and a co-host of the Human Smuggling Act, with both bills entitled non-governmental agencies or NGOs. It said it was designed to hold. Services in Tennessee communities that maintain immigrants without legal status.
The bill is not intended to interfere with the charity of faith-based groups, such as temporary shelters and offering English as second language programs, as his own church offers, he said. I said.
“It reminds the church that even heaven has immigration policies,” Taylor said. “You can’t climb the walls of heaven. You can’t let St. Peter slide to the gates of heaven. There are very specific ways to come to heaven to come to heaven. They have a very strict immigration policy. So I don’t think it’s unreasonable for Americans to have an immigration policy that people follow.”
The bill is one of the unprecedented slates of immigration-related laws introduced this year in the Tennessee Legislature. More than 30 bills have been introduced to restrict immigrants’ access to public services, including K-12 schools, or to punish those who support them.
The drastic measure, signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday, proposes working with the Trump administration to significantly increase state involvement in immigration enforcement.
The measure will create a new state enforcement office, provide grants as an incentive for local law enforcement agencies to assume immigration enforcement obligations, create clear driver’s licenses for non-citizens, and public servants will be able to sanctuary. It’s a felony in favor of policy. The American Civil Liberties Union in Tennessee has pledged to pose a legal challenge to the law.
New “human smuggling” attack
The proposal to create a new “human smuggling” crime deliberately includes at least 10 adults or five children who lack permanent legal immigration status “for the purposes of commercial advantage or private financial interests.” creates felony for transport to.
Republicans from Dixon, Taylor and Jody Barrett “encourage” at least 10 adults or five children and “hidden and hold on to five children who do not have legal immigration status in Tennessee. A second misdemeanor offender to someone who “encourages” to be there or stay. Shield them from detection. Misdemeanors come with a $1,000 penalty for each hidden, hugged or protected individual.
Tennessee’s GOP bill targets public school education for immigrant children without legal status
Taylor introduced Chief sponsor Barrett on Friday to questions about the bill’s details.
Lisa Sherman Luna, executive director of the Tennessee Union for Immigration and Refugee Rights, is driving to a workshop or nonprofit organization that provides bus passes for adults and children as part of the service. It pointed out that it can be widely applied to construction site employees.
The use of the word “encourage” to define the proposed new crime creates an additional layer of ambiguity in the bill, Luna said.
“By providing food to people, do you encourage them to stay?” Luna said. “The key is that they don’t define “encouragement.”
The broad nature of the language has led to non-profit legal service providers offering legal advice, food banks that distribute products, churches that provide community services, and non-profit organizations that provide immigration that educate individuals about their rights. It can be applied, Luna pointed out.
“The nation won’t tell you how to run my church.”
Pastor Kevin Riggs of Franklin Community Church said he was worried. bill Punishing an organization that provides housing assistance will have a direct impact on his church.
The bill is sponsored by Republicans from Newbern, Taylor and Rusty Grill. Neither lawmaker responded to requests for comment on the bill.
Riggs’ churches help low-income people access housing programs. This is funded through the federal housing and urban development program, which is in conflict with the proposed bill.
If there is someone in front of us, we will meet the needs.
– Pastor Kevin Riggs, Franklin Community Church
“It’s going to affect the job,” Riggs said. “It binds us, because you have to do one thing to the state you told you.
Whether the bill will ultimately become law or not, Riggs said his church would not turn from Christian mission to help those in need.
“The state doesn’t tell me how to run my church,” Riggs said.
“If there’s someone in front of us that needs us, we’re going to meet our needs,” he said. “It is part of our church mission and the nation’s message us that we cannot do is practice our religion as we think we were called. It is a violation of the first right to amend the right to amend the right.”
In an interview with The Lookout, Taylor said his intention was to apply only for long-term housing services offered by Tennessee community charities. The language of the bill introduced does not specify long-term housing, but Taylor said he will consider the bill to amend it.
“I don’t imagine a homeless shelter,” he said. “My idea is to be an NGO that helps you find long-term rentals in your home or apartment, rather than an overnight stay in a homeless shelter. Shelter for illegal immigrants from cold winter nights and storms. No one is trying to avoid asking for it.
New aspects of nonprofit immigration enforcement
Churches that work with individuals regardless of their status of immigration, faith-based nonprofits, and other nonprofits that work with individuals, according to Kristen Etter, director of policy and services for the Texas Immigration Law Council. is becoming a target for Republican-led efforts to close illegal immigration. .
On Wednesday, Congressional Republicans sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security’s Department of Christa Noem, demanding an investigation into non-governmental agencies that receive public funds to work with immigrant groups. Without evidence, the letter accused nonprofit agencies of “willfully support criminals who violate our immigration laws” and “running human smuggling campaigns against the background of US taxpayers.”
“Get ready,” Nashville leaders warn immigrant communities about the looming crackdown
Last month, the influential, conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation has been accused of “promoting the border crisis” by immigrants in the United States and customs enforcement. It was listed as the number one immigration-related policy goal for reusing public funds from commercial organizations.
As One of his first executive orders After taking office, President Donald Trump called on the U.S. Attorney General and the Department of Homeland Security to investigate funding for nonprofits intervening immigration.
In Texas, ongoing lawsuits challenge Attorney General Kenpaxton’s efforts to issue investigation requests to organizations intervening immigrants who accused them of promoting illegal immigration. The organization has argued in court for Paxton’s efforts. Violates the first right to amend free speech, associations, religion.
“They want to criminalize all the organisations that work with immigrants,” Etter said.
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